Life As A PlateA little portion of this, and a whole lotta that2014-07-22T00:15:13Zhttp://www.lifeasaplate.com/feed/atom/WordPressAndreAnnahttp://www.lifeasaplate.com/?p=48532012-12-23T02:04:06Z2012-12-23T02:04:06Z

Dear Friends,

It’s been seven years since I started this blog. I started as a young mother who needed an outlet – a community. And I found it.

Then when I found my current lifestyle, it transformed into a food blogging/Paleo/CrossFit/Gluten-Free/Family hybrid blog.

It’s opened doors for me – professionally and personally – and for that I am grateful.

But last week, the day a monster took a score of babies from their parents, I was out of the house working a 12-hour day at a competition. I couldn’t get to them to just hold them, feel their squishy foreheads under my lips, protect them from anything. I realized I hadn’t seen them since the morning before and only an hour that night, before I retired back to my home office, putting in another 16-hour day which has been the norm more lately than not.

I called Mike and asked him to pick them up and bring them to me so I could see them, hug them, because my god, it could have been MY babies. I got home late that night and laid in bed wishing for sleep and only barely succeeding at keeping the sting of tears from overflowing.

I hadn’t seen my kids all week, all month, for the last year it seems. What if it was MY BABIES? If they were taken from me, would I have any peace knowing I spent as much time with them as I could, that I gave them my full effort? I stared at the ceiling, knowing my answer.

I did this to myself. I put too much on my plate and a hobby that I once loved became just one more thing I had to get done – one more deadline. It became work. And when a hobby becomes a job that takes time away from my children, it is no longer worth it. I don’t want to be that parent that wishes they were more present. I don’t want my kids to think the laptop attached to my hands is more important than coloring on the floor or going to see a movie.

I don’t want to be an observer in their lives. I want to be there with them living it.

Something has to give.

And, friends, it’s this. And this decision does not come lightly, trust me.

This website has always been something that brought me joy and humility, and I am so incredibly humbled to have made a difference at all to anyone, even a little bit. I’m going to leave the website up so people can access the recipes, at least until I can convert them all into an e-book PDF for free download.

I’ve learned a lot about myself: my strengths, my weaknesses, what I really want from this life.

I want to write. I will continue to do that, personally and professionally.

I want to play and live and cook and create and love.

Thank you for letting me be a part of your lives for the last seven years.

Ever have one of those weeks where everything kind of just happened at once? I had two major deadlines last week – one for my publishing career and one for my writing gig – and then my gym (which I also work for) was hosting a major two-day competition which literally kept me out of the house and going nonstop for two full days.

I ended that week out with friends, celebrating with these pretty ladies (and sundry other CFers) that I didn’t blow a gasket that weekend:

I may or may not have also had an Aunt Jemima. Yes, that’s bacon. And yes, it’s as amazing as you think it is:

Then we got right back on track on Sunday, planning our menu and doing all the shopping. This week will be full of overtime work late into the night but I promised myself I am turning off all contact with the electronic world (minus some Call of Duty Black Ops 2, natch) on December 23rd until my vacation ends. Like a total blackout, so don’t think I’m dead, mmmmkay?

I’m going to spend the holiday in front of a fire and tree with my babies that I am so thankful for. I have no interest in discussing the shootings because my fingers fail to type the words that breaks my heart into tiny pieces. But I have been sneaking into their rooms at night and collecting extra forehead kisses and sending a silent thank you out into the universe that I can do that and hurting for those that can’t.

It’s supposed to snow this week so hopefully I can avoid the hot cocoa/marshmallow/chocolate chip cookie symbiosis with snowman making and sledding.

So even though it’s Tuesday and we’ve already eaten into two of these days, here’s the menu we planned out:

Ok, so after I deleted the 145 SPAM comments from the same IP address (really, people? You didn’t think I’d catch that?), it was down to 92 comments to choose from. In order to do it as fairly as possible, I used a random number generator to choose the winner.

These are the results:

Comment #6 was my “A. Mel”!! Please check your email (and SPAM folder just in case) as I need your address to give to the Verizon people to send your new DROID RAZR and $50 Verizon gift card!

I’m so excited that I was able to be a part of this program and Verizon was so amazing to work with. I am sad that the program is coming to an end but I got a Xyboard out of the deal, some lucky winner just got a new free smart phone, and am now pretty sure that I’m switching to Verizon after my contract is up with AT&T, they’ve been that great (and I swear they didn’t pay me to say that).

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Gourmets program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product

]]>1AndreAnnahttp://www.lifeasaplate.com/?p=44732012-12-10T17:46:01Z2012-12-10T17:46:01ZYou see that yummy ad right up there? Yeah, cookies are off limits right now but if you weren’t crazypants like we are and did a no-sugar through the holiday thing, you can go check them all out. But don’t tell me how awesome they are, because I’ll cutchoo. The only sugar we’re allowed to […]]]>

You see that yummy ad right up there? Yeah, cookies are off limits right now but if you weren’t crazypants like we are and did a no-sugar through the holiday thing, you can go check them all out. But don’t tell me how awesome they are, because I’ll cutchoo.

The only sugar we’re allowed to have (and only because we CrossFit) is one serving of a green apple and one serving of an approved starch (sweet potato, butternut squash, pumpkin) per day. Which basically means I almost tackled my kids for their hot cocoa the other night when we were downtown for a Christmas Walk.

Well as you can imagine, eggs and bacon for breakfast – while delicious – gets tired pretty quickly. I still love them but I also like to change things up a bit so last Sunday morning when I had some extra time, I tried these out. They have no added sweetener other than the apple itself and I ate them with some coconut butter and they were filling, delicious, and most importantly, something different.

They do come out flat and you need patience to cook these. Keep the heat on low and don’t flip until the one side is completely brown and firm.

They have literally five ingredients and you can spice them up however you want. I used cinnamon and cardamom but you can also use nutmeg, ginger, whatever you’re in the mood for!

Recipe: Apple Pumpkin Breakfast Latkes (Whole 30 and 21 DSD approved)

Ingredients

2 medium granny smith apples, peeled and shredded

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp cardamom (optional)

2 eggs

Instructions

Shred your apples with a box grater and squeeze out any extra moisture.

In a large bowl, stir in remaining ingredients.

Drop the batter on a buttered skillet on low and spread to form a pancake shape.

Cook low, about 3-5 minutes on each side before flipping. These will be flat.

Sprinkle with extra cinnamon and serve with coconut whipped cream or almond butter.

As I write this, we’ve made it through two full weeks of the Whole 30/21 DSD. I finally turned a corner this week and felt pretty great most days. My moods are more even (read: there were less episodes of me telling Mike I hated his ass face), I’m sleeping great, and don’t get that late afternoon face-meets-wall thing around 2 pm like I used to. I have tons of energy and have been feeling great through my WODs, even the heavy breathers which I usually suck at.

This has been one of my favorite breakfasts this week as we were trying to polish off a smoked pork butt:

It was spinach, onions, and a little sweet potato sauteed with the pork. For Mike, I threw in some mushrooms too (the only food I still can’t eat) and put it in an omelet that he said kept him full till dinner!!

I have to say that even though I WOD almost daily, my appetite has been pretty low this week. I won’t even realize I hadn’t eaten much all day until I hit the OMG FEED ME NOW OR I WILL EAT YOUR YOUNG point. I’ve been trying to keep ahead of this but when you don’t have an appetite, it’s a little difficult.

I have to confess I did have a couple vodka and club sodas last night. I haven’t strayed off the food plan at all and it was only a couple of distilled liquor drinks (and normally I can DRAAANK) but this morning, I felt like this

Last night Mike and I made our meal plan and this morning we finished up the shopping for the week. Thankfully, we didn’t need much in the way of meat because I may or may not have cleared Target out of all of their Meyer’s natural meat.

So, we went to Sam’s and picked up our weekly boatload of veggies and now we’re ready for a full week of eating! My CrossFit box is hosting a large competition this coming weekend The Christmas Classic (you can compete if you’re somewhat local – cash prizes and still time to register!!). Since I will be there running scoring and making sure things run smoothly with the volunteers, I will be gone most of the day Friday and all day Saturday. I factored this into the meal plan, knowing I’d have to pack almost all my meals and Mike would be on his own.

Today, we slow-roasted a pork butt in the oven for 5 hours and the smell is making me crazy.

Also, I figure I don’t need to write that our pre-WOD snack each day since it’s always the same: either a green apple or banana and some protein like almond butter, raw nuts, etc.

Friday

Saturday

At the competition. There will be fruit and water available to us, as well as a “Paleo plate” lunch provided for the volunteers. Also packing a lunch box of: almond butter, raw nuts, unsweetened coconut flakes, beef jerky, and coconut water (because I KNOW I’m going to be too busy to make sure I drink enough and this will help me stay hydrated).

Well, Week 1 is in the books and after a week of what can only be described as the worst PMS ever, I am finally turning a corner.

The cravings are mostly gone – at least for ALL! THE! THINGS! I didn’t realize how often I’d just pick up one of the kids snacks and pop it in my mouth until I had to NOT do it. Last week, I wanted to shove all the pretzels and treats in my face because I was GOING TO DIE if I did’t have one, but I’m finally not feeling the NEED to eat that stuff. But I’ll tell you, every time I’d walk by my son’s pretzel bowl this afternoon, it took restraint not to pop one in my mouth, and not even because I wanted or craved it. But because it was THERE. That’s all. I finally realized how much I was subconsciously eating without even noticing.

I was eating things because they were there.

Keeping a meal plan and a daily food log during this has been one of the biggest ways we’ve been able to get through this week. Well, that and going to bed early before we smacked each other in the face with a frying pan.

If I woke in a bad mood, I knew I needed fat and protein so lots of my breakfasts looked like this:

In the morning, I put two chicken breasts in a Crockpot with a little chicken broth on the bottom. I covered it with some homemade mayo and Penzey’s Sandwich Sprinkle. Then I placed an small oven-safe dish (I used Pyrex) and placed it upside down to use as a “stand.” I poked some holes in the sweet potato and put it on the stand (so it doesn’t touch the raw chicken). I set to low for 4 hours and voila! Lunch!

—

I have to say that I really surprised myself this weekend; I KNEW the weekends were going to be the hardest. I went out with a group of friends on Saturday night to celebrate a girlfriend’s 30th birthday. I spent most of the day feeling sorry for myself and WOE IS ME because I can’t have what my husband refers to as my “getting ready” cocktail: my glass of wine on the bathroom counter while I prim and preen. I wouldn’t be able to buy birthday shots or sip some Malbec while gossiping. I was legitimately SAD that I was not going to be able to drink that I almost talked myself out of it like four times. One glass of wine won’t hurt, right? I mean, what if I just have some Patron on the rocks? That can’t mess me up that bad right?

Ultimately, I held strong and offered to be the designated driver so that the birthday girl could drink and I’d have a really good reason for staying stone sober. But guess what? When I got out with everyone and we sat down and started talking, I had FUN! Who knew?!!? I didn’t NEED wine or tequila to have fun. I just needed a cute outfit and some great friends. I kept club soda with lime in my hands. Though it was after 2 am, I went to sleep with a smug sense of sanctimony to my old self. See, you CAN go out and have fun and all without a hangover tomorrow!!!

This was a huge accomplishment for me. I know lots of people don’t drink and still have a good time but my habits were so ingrained that it took a lot of mental fortitude to get through a social event without my wine. Thankfully, most of my friends know I’m on the detox so there was no questions or pressure and those that didn’t assumed that my club soda and lime was a drink so no one questioned it. I have to tell you though, after midnight at a crowded bar when you’re sober? HILARIOUS. Drunk girls crying, guys barely able to walk, bachelorette party members being extra slutty, the old guy on the dance floor by himself. I guess I’m usually too invested in my own drinks to notice. I may make this a new hobby.

Unfortunately, in some cruel joke, I woke up with a killer headache which turned into the first migraine I’ve had in months and worse, with no explanation. It was just plain mean. Instead of cooking and prepping and having dinner with my parents, I spent the afternoon in a dark room with an ice pack on my head trying desperately not to throw up the medicine I had taken. I emerged in a fog but feeling a little better to a clean house, homemade chicken soup and chicken wings from my awesome man.

We sat down and came up with our weekly meal plan based on what we had in the freezer downstairs and what stuff we needed to get rid of in the fridge:

Sunday

]]>4AndreAnnahttp://www.lifeasaplate.com/?p=44542012-11-29T22:39:55Z2012-11-29T22:39:55ZI’m writing this from the grave because clearly I have died from not having any wine in four days. Or brownies. You know, the things that make the world go ’round. It’s not so bad really this time around – this whole sugar detox Whole 30 thing. I was actually feeling really great for the […]]]>

I’m writing this from the grave because clearly I have died from not having any wine in four days. Or brownies. You know, the things that make the world go ’round.

It’s not so bad really this time around – this whole sugar detox Whole 30 thing. I was actually feeling really great for the first three days and figured it was because I was following the recommended allowances for “athletes” and having 1 serving of fruit (split into two througout the day) and a 1/2 sweet potato. My energy was good, my WODs weren’t suffering. And then today happened. OH TODAY.

I hit a wall. With my face. Nay, my whole body. I had no gas in my tank, no fuel in my engine, no go in my go-go boots. So I did with anyone who works from home would do in that situation. I chugged a liter of water, ate a handful of almonds, and took a nap on my lunchbreak. Having a futon in your office has its perks.

It started out bad. It was my fault, really. I didn’t set the alarm. I woke up late which means I didn’t get to shower and check email and stuff before the kids woke up. Which means I was trying to get three of us out of the house in an hour. What I’m saying is that it wasn’t pretty. To make things worse, I had two back-to-back appointments this morning (I’m going to CUT THIS FOOT RIGHT OFF) and no time to cook for myself. I managed a few minutes to make my new go-to Whole 30 compliant smoothie that has been saving my ass when I need something fast.

The avocado gives this smoothie a very milkshake-like consistency and the banana adds a little sweetness without adding too much sugar. If you use Pure protein (just 100% grassfed whey and stevia) or another brand of plain whey, you can throw some of that in for some added protein. I tossed a handful of spinach in this morning too. You can use the base recipe and move from there.

The reality is this doesn’t look pretty when it’s finished. It’s a brownish green color and well, that’s just yucky. But it’s packed full of good fat, protein, and a little fruit so it works well as a meal replacement on the go.

Recipe: Avocado Chocolate “Milkshake”

Ingredients

1/2 c. crushed ice

1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 banana

1/2 avocado

1-2 tsp. raw almond butter

small handful of raw baby spinach (optional)

5-8 drops liquid stevia (optional)

1-2 c. unsweetened chocolate almond milk

Instructions

Place all items in blender or Magic Bullet.

Use more or less almond milk (from 1-2 c.) depending on the consistency you prefer.

Blend well.

]]>5AndreAnnahttp://www.lifeasaplate.com/?p=44462012-11-27T12:40:50Z2012-11-27T00:35:37ZWell, today was Day 1 of the 28-Day Clean-Eating Sugar Detox (If you want to keep up with us on Twitter, the group is using the hashtag #LAAPdetox). So far, so good. Then again, Mike and I worked our little butts off yesterday afternoon for a couple hours to make sure we were prepared. I […]]]>

Well, today was Day 1 of the 28-Day Clean-Eating Sugar Detox (If you want to keep up with us on Twitter, the group is using the hashtag #LAAPdetox). So far, so good. Then again, Mike and I worked our little butts off yesterday afternoon for a couple hours to make sure we were prepared. I really think that’s the key to this kind of thing. Because I am stubborn and instead of reaching for something bad for me, I just won’t eat and though intermittent fasting (IF) has it’s benefits, I get CRABBY when I don’t eat. Like I literally have Quest Bars and Lara Bars and little packet of peanut butter and almond butter strewn in my purse, car, etc. because if I get to that shaky-hungry feeling and don’t have food within arms reach, I get all HULKSMASH.

So since I don’t have those things to reach for during the next 28 days, I have to make sure I have things I can grab and be prepared. The cool thing about detoxing off of sugar though is that in a few days, that shaky-low-blood-sugar feeling should be gone and I should be able to make it between meals or even skip one without turning green and breaking metal folding chairs over people’s heads. In theory.

We cut up a ton of fresh veggies and though I don’t mind them raw, I prefer them with hummus or some kind of dip. And since most dip is a dairy-laden processed no-no, I figured I’d make my own.

I started with this homemade mayo recipe from The Clothes That Make the Girl. I can’t stress enough how important it is to make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature. This will make or break your mayo, as well as the slow drizzling in of the oil as it emulsifies.

Then I just added some fresh ingredients (I use the Lighthouse freeze-dried herbs you keep in the fridge) into the blender and yummy yummy veggie dip was made. So very quick and easy. And a great way to make raw veggies less boring, dairy-free!

I revamped our original weekly meal plan based on what we had in the house and what we picked up at the store this morning. We sat down this morning and made a shopping list, as well as a to-do list to make sure we were prepared for the week.

I’ll be posting my meal plans on Sundays for the next few weeks. I think this can help all of us – it forces me to think ahead for the week and be prepared and maybe you guys can get some ideas if you’re feeling bored or worried you can’t make a ton of meals.

Mike works out at 5:30 in the morning and then heads right to work, so his plan is to have his pre-WOD snack in the car on the way to the gym and then once he gets to work to have his breakfast. Since breakfast will be right after he works out, he’ll be having his daily starch in the morning. I work out at 3:15, so my pre-WOD snack will be around 2-2:30 and I’ll have my starch during our dinner around 5-5:30 or so.

Ok, so as I mentioned in this last post (thank you all for your kind and supportive words, by the way; you guys really are amazing), Mike and I are starting a 28-Day Clean Eating/Sugar Detox challenge on Monday. We’re following the guidelines of a Whole 30 as well as Balanced Bites 21-day Sugar Detox. Basically, we’re eliminated ALL sugars including the natural ones: dairy, honey, agave, alcohol, starches and fruit (with the exception of accepted amounts on WOD days). We’re going to focus on eating clean meats and lots of veggies and treating our bodies well between the holidays. We’ve started a Google Group for those of you who wanted to join us and so far we’re near 50 members!

I figured that since I’ve done this before and I kind of know what to expect, I figured I’d try and give you guys some advice on how to set yourself up for success.

1) Clean out your pantry and fridge. Toss anything that isn’t something you’ll be eating in the next 28 days and would go back. Donate cans, throw away old cheese or bottled sauces or half-eaten bags of chips. If you need to keep this stuff in your house because of other family members, organize and clean out your fridge and pantry to create your own shelf. Tell them it’s YOUR shelf and that everything on it is to support you in your endeavor. This way when you go looking for food or snacks, you don’t have to sift through bags of Fritos.

2) Make a Meal Plan and Stick To it. Sit down, go through blogs posts, Google Whole 30 recipes, and decide what you want to eat for the week. Write it down BIG where you can see it every day. Keep a notebook nearby or an app on your phone to jot down meal ideas that pop into your head. Don’t be afraid to try new things. I will be posting my meal plan tomorrow or Sunday for the week (in legible form but this is what Mike and I jotted down as we talked this week)

3) Make your shopping list from your meal plan. Go through each meal you have decided on and figure out what you need to buy from the store. I recommend shopping on Sunday for Mon-Thurs and then another shopping trip mid-week for Thur-Sun. Most of what you’ll be eating will be fresh and chances are since it’s almost December, it will be out of season and will go bad fast. Instead of wasting food, buy only what you need for a few days based on your plan.

4) Plan to feel like total hell for the first week or so. Often called “the induction flu” the process your body will go through as it detoxes from sugar (and likely caffeine if you’re giving up coffee too) will leave many of us feeling literally sick: run down, cranky, with headaches. Some of you may also suffer from “Candida Die-off “- a process where as you stop feeding the bacteria in your gut the sugar it uses to multiply, it dies off. While this is a good thing (since we want a GOOD BALANCE of bacteria in our bodies), the rapid process by which the sugar-eating bacteria dies off can sometimes cause stomach issues for a while: gas, bloating, diarrhea. To prevent this, you may want to add some additional supplements such as extra probiotics and Super Digestive Enzymes. Last time we did this, Mike was miserable until we figured this out.

6) Tell your friends and family ahead of time what you are doing and ask them to respect it. Some will roll their eyes. Most will make a comment or two. A few will give you a really hard time. But stand your ground and tell them you’re doing it for you because you deserve to feel better and if they can’t support that, then they can shut their face-holes for the next 28 days.

7) Plan for social occasions. It is the holidays afterall and you may have some parties or work functions during these four weeks where it may be more difficult than a night at home. But I’m a firm believer that if you plan ahead, you can avoid a lot of stress or feelings of WOE IS ME when everyone else is shoving pie and wine down their gullets. 1) If it’s at a restaurant, go online and find the menu ahead of time. Figure out what you’re going to order and don’t cave into peer pressure when you get there. 2) If you’re invited to a party, offer to bring a dish or two. Sure, you’ll have to cook but at least you know when you get there you’ll be able to eat something and not sit in the corner, sober and hungry and crabby. Use this opportunity to show your friends and family how delicious eating real foods can be.

8) Buy a couple of books or magazines to read a little of each day to keep you on track and remind you why you’re doing this. My current favorites? It Starts with Food by The Hartwigs, Well Fed by Melissa Joulwan, and Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo. These three are the top choices I tell people because they are easy to read, well-written, and informative without making your brain mushy from science-y stuff. Reading a few chapters each night before bed will give you a renewed sense of commitment each day.

9) Keep a food log. This doesn’t have to be a detailed with food, calorie or macronutrient breakdowns, but if you take a few minutes a day to write down what you’re eating, it can keep you on track. Share it with the group for added accountability.

10) Make a list of why you are doing it. To feel better, fit back into your old clothes, have more energy, heal gut issues, help inflammation, get over sugar or carb addiction, lower blood sugar or cholesterol, wean yourself off meds. I don’t care what your reasons – even the vain ones like fitting into a sexy-ass dress for Christmas – put them on a list and tape it to your fridge and every time you reach in there, remind yourself why you are doing this. It may be corny but it helps. I’ll even share mine.

Which tips do you find the most helpful?

What do you think your biggest challenge is when trying something like this?